Volvo Ex90 vs Polestar 3

What's the difference?

The new Volvo EX90 Ultra Twin Motor Performance strikes a great balance between sophistication and practicality. It looks sharp, drives beautifully, and delivers a solid range with fast charging to match. Adding to that is a comfortable, family-friendly cabin with space for seven. It’s hard not to be impressed.

There are a couple of technology beats it misses but it's still an easy SUV to live with.

With the kind of driving range, dynamics and comfort that could convince even the EV doubtful to give it a crack, the Polestar 3 – and specifically this Long Range Single Motor – feels like it was worth waiting for.

The EX90 has swathes of smooth body panelling and a closed-off grille, as we've come to expect from a modern EV. The rear roofline tapers gently, giving it a sleek profile, while the black body moulding around the base and frameless mirrors add some visual interest.

It’s a clear departure from the boxier XC90 and you won’t mix them up but it still features those signature 'Hammer of Thor' LED headlights, which I really like.

The Ultra rides on 22-inch alloy wheels which help fill the arches nicely without making the car look oversized or flashy. The soft-close doors are a luxe touch and the overall fit and finish is up there with the best in the segment.

It shares its platform and technology with the Polestar 3, so if you're familiar with that model, the dashboard and centre console layout will feel very familiar.

I’m a fan of the clean, minimalist look and it works well with the panoramic sunroof, which brings in loads of light. A future update will let you switch the roof from clear to opaque, which should be a nice touch come summer.

The ambient lighting is cleverly integrated with the birch wood trim, and there are subtle ambient lights throughout the cabin that give it a business-class vibe.

And since it’s fully electric, there’s no transmission tunnel, so the middle row gets a completely flat floor. That also means extra space, with a handy storage cubby added under the centre console.

I think the Polestar 3 looks great – big, but not looming, and still somehow svelte enough to look sporty.

The brand takes a unique approach to marrying design and aerodynamics, with a lip at the edge of the bonnet that allows for airflow. But it doesn't look like a purely functional element.

Instead it accentuates what Volvo would call the 'Thor's Hammer' (but I think Polestar calls them 'Twin Blade') headlights, which are mirrored below with black venting.

In fact, looking at the 3 front-on is a bit like looking into a reflection in a crystal-clear lake, with the lighting signature perfectly reflected in the lower half of the front end.

If it sounds like I'm waxing lyrical, it's because I am. I think the Polestar 3 is among the best looking vehicles in its segment and one of the better looking SUVs, period.

Inside, though, it's a study in minimalism, which while very neat and tidy, makes it feel a little less luxe than you might expect from a vehicle at this price point. In fact, at a quick glance, it doesn't look that far removed from the relatively cheap-as-chips MG4's cabin.

The materials are thoughtful and lovely, though. Leather-like materials are used sparingly, replaced by what Polestar calls "Bio-Attributed MicroTech Charcoal with Repurposed Aluminium Deco". A far easier way to describe it, though, would be as reminiscent of a wetsuit.

Elsewhere, it's a fairly pared-back affair, with just the huge portrait-style central screen and the landscape driver screen grabbing your attention. Dig deeper, and there are some really nice, gentle details, like the ambient interior lighting that illuminates a little strip along the door panel, including the Bowers & Wilkins logo. A similar line of light spans the entire dash, too.

And I love the metallic-look panel along the dash which, one can only assume, is the 'Repurposed Aluminium Deco'.

The EX90 nails the balance between luxury and everyday usability. Up front, there’s loads of head, leg and elbow room, and it’s easy to get in and out thanks to the 216mm ground clearance and wide door apertures.

That said, the flush door handles can be a bit temperamental as they don’t always pop out when you approach and the key card only works from the driver’s side, which can be annoying.

Once you’re in, the front seats are superb. They’re seriously comfortable, with heating, ventilation, massage and extendable thigh supports that make long trips a breeze. It’s easy to find a great driving position and just settle in.

Storage up front is clever and generous. There’s a large glove box, a deep centre console with a hidden cubby, a shelf under the floating centre stack, plus cupholders and big door bins. It's well thought out and practical.

The 14.5-inch multimedia screen looks fantastic and is responsive. Now, I’m a button girl, and usually having to rely on a screen for everything would bug me but this set-up works.

You can pin your favourite features like climate and media controls to the bottom of the display for easy access, and the voice assistant is usually really capable, so you can stay hands-free when needed.

Built-in Google Assistant, Google Maps, YouTube, Spotify, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto make tech integration smooth. Navigation directions show up clearly in both the 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster and the colour head-up display, which is a nice touch.

I experienced a couple of tech gremlins toward the end of my week with the car. The Google Assistant stopped picking up my voice commands and calls wouldn’t route through the sound system once connected.

Thankfully, both issues seemed to resolve themselves without intervention, but it's worth noting in case it’s a software quirk that pops up from time to time.

The second-row seats are ergonomic but a little firm - still comfy enough for long trips, especially with heating for the outboard seats.

Access is easy, and my eight-year old had no trouble climbing in or out. The booster seat integration has moved to the middle seat only (instead of both outboards), which might limit flexibility for some families, but for us it works fine.

There are ISOFIX mounts on the outboard seats and three top-tether points across the second row, and yes, you can fit three child seats side by side. Amenities in the second row are excellent with two USB-C ports, air vents, dual-zone climate, map pockets, cupholders and decent storage bins.

The third row is, as expected, best for kids, as toe room is limited and the access is child-sized. Still, it’s well-appointed with two cupholders, USB-C ports, and air vents built into the C-pillars. Even better, it gets two top-tether anchor points, which is a huge bonus for big families.

Boot space is solid because even with all seats up, you get 324L, including a useful underfloor compartment. Fold the third row and it jumps to 697L.

You can also manually raise or lower the boot height thanks to the active air suspension, and the third row folds electrically. There’s also a 12-volt socket and a powered tailgate you can operate via the Volvo app or the multimedia screen.

Up front, there’s a 34L frunk which is ideal for storing charging cables or a tyre repair kit, keeping everything neat and separate.

Polestar has done a solid job of disguising the dimensions of the Polestar 3, because while it looks sleek and sporty it's still a big boat, stretching a sizeable 4900mm in length, 1968mm in width and 1618mm in height.

That size is most noticeable in the back seat, which is properly cavernous, helped further by a fully flat floor which lends even more airiness. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position there's plenty of headroom and tons of knee room, giving the Polestar 3 official adult-friendly status.

The ISOFIX attachment points are located beneath two pop-off plastic covers, which makes fitting a child-seat base super easy. This is something I wouldn't have cared about at all exactly 22 weeks ago, but now I care a lot, and this was among the fastest and easiest systems I've used.

Happily, there is no major back seat compromise, either. The pews are comfortable and supportive, with the window seats separated by a pull-down divider home to two pop-out cupholders.

There are twin USB ports for rear-seat riders, too, as well as air vents with temperature controls, and – thanks to that Plus Pack – rear seat heating.

There's storage aplenty, too, with a total 597 litres in the boot with the rear seats in place, and 1411 litres with them folded flat, including a handy 90-litre hidden storage spot under the boot floor. Up front, there's a soft-bag-ready 32-litre frunk.

I'm going to get this out of the way early. I am a touch surprised with the pricing on the Polestar 3 range.

With Tesla having now stepped on a million metaphorical rakes, and with a leader now slightly less popular than actual skunk musk, the stage seemed set for a rival brand to steal its crown, and its customers.

But I can't see too many making the leap from the $60K-$70K Tesla Model Y to the $118,420 asking price of the admittedly bigger Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor - which is the cheapest way into the brand's large SUV.

Instead, Polestar will be taking aim at brand's like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Cadillac, leaving its Chinese corporate cousins (think Zeekr and Geely) to chip away at Tesla's market share.

So, premium product, then. But do you get premium stuff?

Ours gets the 20-inch 'aero' alloys, but you can spec those up to 22-inch wheels if you don't like your spine very much, along with Brembo brakes. Plus there's is LED lighting all around, a big glass roof and retractable door handles.

Inside, the Long Range gets heated front seats, triple-zone climate control, wireless device charging, and a big 14.5-inch central screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (run by Google built-in) joined by a second 9.0-inch driver information screen above the steering wheel.

Our car was also equipped with what Polestar calls the 'Plus Pack', a cool $9.0K on top, which adds things like a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins for Polestar stereo (replacing the standard 10-speaker set-up) , a head-up display, heating for the rear seats, steering wheel and wiper blades as well as soft-close doors.

The as-tested price for our car, by the way, is $131,640, before on-road costs.

The Ultra is all-wheel drive with twin electric motors, one on each axle. Combined, they deliver a hefty 380kW of power and 910Nm of torque. That translates to a 0–100km/h sprint in just 4.9 seconds, which is seriously impressive for a big SUV.

Do we need it to be this fast? Absolutely not. But do I appreciate the gumption? You bet I do.

The  Long Range Single Motor tag hints at what's powering this Polestar 3, with a single, rear-axle mounted (so, rear-wheel drive) motor producing 220kW/490Nm and a fairly sedate sprint from zero to 100km/h of 7.8 seconds.

The official WLTP energy consumption figure for the EX90 Ultra is 16.9kWh/100km, and after a good mix of open-road and urban driving, I averaged around 20kWh/100km which isn't bad at all for a vehicle of this size.

The strong regenerative braking helps here, and if you time your deceleration right, you can enjoy a proper one-pedal driving experience, which makes city driving feel effortless.

The EX90 uses a Type 2 CCS charging port and packs a massive 111kWh lithium-ion battery, good for a driving range of up to 570km (WLTP).

Charging speeds are impressive as it supports up to 11kW on AC and a hefty 250kW on DC fast chargers. That means you can go from 10–80 per cent in as little as 35 minutes on a 250kW charger, or in around 10 hours on an 11kW home set-up.

How far is far enough before you'd consider an EV? Because I've got to say, if I owned the Polestar 3, I'd probably have to plug it in once a week, if that.

A sizeable 111kWh lithium-ion battery provides the charge here, and unlocks a claimed WLTP driving range of 706km. Now, it's worth pointing out these numbers are rarely realistic. For example, WLTP testing is conducted with the climate control switched off, but a real-world result of 600km or more, depending on how you drive, is still a large number.

The battery is the same as in the dual-motor variant, but this RWD car is lighter and less powerful, and it has a lower top speed (180km/h), reducing its energy usage to 17.6kWh-20.3kWh/100km (from 19.6-21.8kWh/100km).

The Polestar 3 has a 400V architecture, meaning hyper-fast charging speeds are out of the question. Instead, it's capped at a maximum 250kW (still more than most public chargers in Australia can produce) which means a 10-80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.

At home, an 11kW charger will take more like 11 hours, or an estimated 16 hours using a regular 7.0kW wallbox.

According to Canstar Blue, the average price per kW for residential power in NSW at the moment is about $0.34. So, using my admittedly questionable maths skills, it would cost around $37 to take your Polestar 3 from empty to full at home.

Smooth and effortlessly powerful - that’s the best way to sum up the EX90 on the road. Despite its size, you don’t feel the bulk from behind the wheel. It’s nimble when it needs to be and wickedly quick off the line. Even under hard acceleration, I always feel in control, which is a huge plus for something this punchy.

You can customise the steering feel, and I preferred it on the firmer setting as it gave the best feedback without feeling heavy. The active air suspension does a great job of absorbing rough surfaces without softening the handling, so there’s no floatiness, just a composed, comfortable ride.

Inside the cabin, it’s beautifully quiet. That signature EV silence makes the space feel refined, with just the occasional tyre rumble at higher speeds, depending on the road surface but it’s never intrusive.

Visibility is mostly great from the front and sides, but the rear window feels miles away in the mirror, and the B-pillars are a little thick, so there’s a minor blind spot to be aware of.

Parking is easier than you’d expect for something of its size. The 360-degree camera is super clear, and there are plenty of parking sensors. The 12m turning circle is pretty standard, but it still felt totally manageable in tight shopping centre car parks.

The Polestar 3 is that rarest of beasts – a big and sumptuous SUV that's genuinely engaging to drive.

This is going to sound odd given we're talking about 2.5-tonnes of Swedish metal but I reckon the fact it's not lightning-fast makes it more fun to drive. It somehow (and yes, this is a crazy thing to say) gives off Mazda MX-5 vibes, in the sense that, while some EVs feel utterly scientific in the way they accumulate speed, this rear-drive Polestar feels fun, perky and like you're actually driving it.

Don't get me wrong, there's more than enough power on offer here to get the 3 up and moving, especially the way it accelerates from low to mid speeds, but it's more than powerful enough to feel like you can push it a little bit harder without risking a visit to the undertaker.

The ride is good, too, leaning into its sporty nature without vibrating your eyeballs through suspensions stiffness, and the steering is direct and predictable. Speaking of which, you can dial up the sportiness of the accelerator (responsiveness) and steering (weight), too.

I also like the three-stage brake regeneration (off, medium and full 'one-pedal' driving) accessed through a permanent button at the base of the screen, and I prefer that it isn't as brutal as it can be in other vehicles. The cabin is also impressively quiet, though how much of that is owing to the Plus Pack's upgraded stereo arriving with active noise cancellation is a mystery.

There is no shortage of weight on board, though, and get too aggressive with the steering wheel and you'll get that disconcerting top-heavy tipping feeling so common with big SUVs.

I'm not convinced by the Polestar 3's software, either, with a couple of weird warnings popping up during my time with the car. The first warned that the driver assistance systems had failed, and told me to book a service, and the second even weirder issue is it liked to warn me there was "no valid key detected" despite it being in the centre console, and that "restart would not be possible".

Neither warning seemed accurate, to be fair, as the safety one went away on its own after a while and I had no problem starting the car.

The Polestar 3's safety story is a good one, and it begins with nine airbags covering all seating rows. The grille of the 3 is home to what the brand calls its 'SmartZone', which is where it hides the cameras, sensors and radars necessary for its AEB (with cyclist and pedestrian detection), cross-traffic alert with braking, blind spot alert with steer assist, lane departure warning and assist and active cruise control. The list goes on and on.

In the cabin, two infrared cameras monitor the driver, while four motion-sensing radars scan the rest of the interior for left-behind pets or children.

It scored the full five stars in Euro NCAP testing, and scored the highest child occupant protection rating of any passenger car tested by Euro NCAP in nine years.

The EX90 is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is on par with most rivals, though Kia still has the edge with its longer coverage. Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

As for costs? For the first five years, servicing is included in the purchase price, so while it’s technically not ‘free,’ it does mean no extra out-of-pocket expenses for scheduled maintenance during that time and that’s pretty solid value in this segment.

Another tick for the Polestar here. While I advocate for longer warranties (kudos to brands like Nissan, MG and Mitsubishi), the 3's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty is on par with its premium competitors.

The first five years or 100,000km of servicing is on the house, too (it's required every two years or 30,000km after that) and five years' roadside assistance is thrown in, as well.